


[ gay panic ]

by TheRegularWriter



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: (Totally not self-projecting ayy), Angry Hank Cameo, Attempt at Humor, Author has no idea how androids work, Author has no knowledge of electricity so forgive her, Canon Divergence, Connor is a blushing disaster, Crack, Crack sorta treated seriously I guess, Denial of Feelings, Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Gay Simon (Detroit: Become Human), Gay solidarity, Idiots in Love, Keyboard Smash, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, My First Work in This Fandom, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Requited Love, Silly, Slight Simon backstory, Swearing, What is android science??????
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:08:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21921934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRegularWriter/pseuds/TheRegularWriter
Summary: Markus touches his face and the other already tenses.“Are you feeling better?” The former asks, his mismatched eyes watching him.Connor tries not to get too distracted by them nor by the way Markus is touching his cheek, so gently... instead, he opens his mouth to reassure everyone he’s feeling better.What comes out of him is the exact opposite of that.“Adhfgdhjdhgfkjgf—”He shuts his mouth immediately. What the actualfuck?--In which Connor overheats and literally has a short circuit, and speaks like he's smashing a keyboard. No, there's no logic here.
Relationships: Connor & Simon (Detroit: Become Human), Connor/Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Josh & Markus & North (Detroit: Become Human)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 219





	[ gay panic ]

**Author's Note:**

> Heyyy, D:BH fandom, I've been following you for some time, and I've been meaning to write something for this game.
> 
> This idea was funnier in my head but anyway, just take this as my attempt to write Connor/Markus because I'm a sucker for underrated pairings (despite the fact it's a pretty popular ship in this site, but I barely find it in other platforms ;-;)
> 
> As usual, excuse my writing mistakes and any OOCness (I have no idea how to write anyone from this game, rip). Hope you enjoy it!

Since deviating, Connor has been experiencing and discovering new things. Not all of them are good, though. For instance, fear is a feeling he has unfortunately become familiarized with. He’s afraid of heights and blizzards, the last one bringing him back to the Zen Garden, when he was searching for a way out before he could be hacked and, thus, kill the deviant leader.

Thankfully, there is the good side of breaking free. Connor likes dogs, fish and he enjoys working at the police station, despite Detective Reed not being the friendliest person there. Above it all, he’s happy living with Hank and Sumo now. He feels safe.

And now, Connor may be discovering something else.

It took him some time to actually head to New Jericho after the revolution, as he feared other androids would never welcome him. Much to his relief, they see him as their ally, as their... friend. At least, Markus is the first one to embrace him as a friend. Josh and Simon also appear to enjoy his company. North... is more cautious, with good reason; yet soon enough, she’s smiling warmly at Connor as they encounter more often.

The detective knows he can trust them, too. He’s glad to have them as his friends.

... especially Markus.

He can’t quite figure out why. The RK200 has always... inspired him, now that he thinks of it. He was drawn to the leader’s first speech to broadcast TV, even if he didn’t want to admit it. Connor would catch up with the news on his own, and would watch and observe Markus fight for the freedom of androids. For long enough, Connor has convinced himself he was only doing so to study him, so he could capture him.

(Absolute bullshit, as Hank would describe it.)

It was only at the former Jericho hideout that Connor listened to Markus, and so he was willing to infiltrate the CyberLife tower to awaken the hundreds of androids trapped there. Surely, Hank has always supported Connor in being a deviant, but... something about Markus just woke him up, as if a switch was flipped; if that makes sense.

That being said, something... starts happening these days. It’s odd and Connor can’t quite explain it.

Sometimes, he looks at Markus and watches him talk to his three best friends. He’s never given much attention to the other’s smile; perhaps due to how serious the leader appeared during the android movement. In contrast to his worldwide image, his expression is carefree and good-natured, so... genuine and natural. Connor himself has trouble learning how to smile, even if months have passed by now. Yet he has no envy, he just... enjoys appreciating it from afar. Markus is possibly the kindest and most expressive person he knows, which does fit with his artistic skills and knowledge of philosophers and morality.

Every so often, Markus looks back and his smile remains – and if Connor’s visors are correct, it appears to widen.

Then, the detective can’t move or speak. Worse, he may feel his temperature levels rising. Connor self-tests and runs diagnostics every single day, yet he finds no anomalies in his systems. No viruses of some sort, nor CyberLife trying to hack him again. It... does occur to him that this only happens when he’s with Markus.

It’s strange. Being a deviant is strange in itself, as he finds new features almost every day. This one, though? He has never heard anyone at Jericho mention it.

He’s unsure whether he should ask anyone about it. He’s not asking Markus; he’s the source of the heat, so it’s logical he shouldn’t risk it. Hank understands nothing about androids. That leaves him the deviant leader’s friends, then? Well, Connor wouldn’t want them to tell Markus in first hand, unless it’s something serious. He fears it might be... either way, North, Josh and Simon seem trustworthy and honest, so it’s a good option, he concludes.

When Connor does get to New Jericho, he’s lost all his determination. Having not gone to stasis mode due to his busy mind, he’s still trying to come up with a logical explanation for his- his issue to give to the others, since it’s so tricky describing it. He awaits them, as one of the androids inform him that Markus and his friends are having a private conversation on political matters.

So, Connor aims to focus, performing his coin trick (to his joy, Hank gave it back to him when things were over). He tries not to think about the RK200’s smile, the main cause of it all. Nor does he want to analyze the green and blue eyes that gaze at him with warmth and care. Just remembering these already causes his body to heat up again. Does Markus have the same effect on everyone else? Why is it only Connor? Does he need repair? Is he actually broken? Why is Markus so beautiful? And why is he wondering that?

SYSTEM TEMPERATURE ^

He’s so overloaded by the countless questions and the warning tabs in his field of vision that he doesn’t realize the very person he’s thinking about has stepped in the room.

“Hey, Connor, sorry for making you wait. They told me you needed help, so I decided to come here while they finish.” Markus appears to have rushed on the way there. He’s no longer wearing his long trench coat, instead a black shirt and gray pants.

SYSTEM TEMPERATURE ^^

The coin falls out of his hands and rolls down the floor. Markus is a little taken aback by it, yet he goes to get the coin anyway.

There’s only silence, besides the warnings and all those feelings and thoughts that make no sense. Shit. _Shit_.

“What? What’s wrong?” Markus stands up and frowns in worry and confusion, and it’s then that Connor realizes he’s cursed out loud. He blames Hank for it.

“A-Ah, nothing.” His brown eyes barely meet the concerned green and blue ones staring at him.

“Well, what do you need help with?”

This is not what he has planned and he’s so **frustrated**.

SYSTEM TEMPERATURE ^^

**WARNING! TEMPERATURE CRITICAL**

“Oh, you see, i-it’s hard to... uh...” His cheeks are hotter. He can’t even finish the goddamn sentence.

Markus’ eyes widen and he takes a few steps forward. “Your... Your face is blue.”

Connor blinks. “What?”

“Are you alright? Are you sick?”

“I-I don’t—” The detective gulps. “I don’t know, I...”

SYSTEM TEMPERATURE ^^^^

**WARNING! TEMPERATURE CRITICAL**

The leader approaches more now. Out of warning, Markus puts his free hand on the other’s cheek and almost gasps once he feels the heat.

“Oh my god, you’re burning,” He observes and Connor just—

Holy **_shit_**.

SYSTEM TEMPERATURE ^^^^^^^^^^

**WARNING! SYSTEM OVERHEAT**

**SHUTTING DOWN IN 3, 2, 1...**

He opens his mouth without making a sound, hearing a panicked “ _Connor_!” before everything turns black.

* * *

CYBERLIFE INC.

MODEL: RK800

SERIAL: 313 248 317

REGISTERED NAME: CONNOR

REBOOTING...

His eyes don’t open at first. His vision is similar to a blur, as they recalibrate and adjust to his surroundings. He’s staring at the ceiling and his body is lying on a comfortable surface – a bed, he concludes as he feels the fabric and material.

Slowly, he also acknowledges voices in the room he’s in.

“... so what, he burned up and fainted?” A female voice can be identified. According to Connor’s memory, it’s North.

“He shut down due to overheat,” A male one replies, sighing. It’s Markus. “I couldn’t tell if he caught the equivalent to the common cold. I tried to run a diagnostics with his body in stasis mode, yet it said everything was fine. It didn’t detect any viruses. And now, his systems seem to have cooled down.”

“Huh...” Josh comments. “I wonder how long he has been feeling this?”

“All he told me was that he had an issue.” The RK200 explains. “Then, he couldn’t speak right and... his cheeks turned blue all of a sudden.”

Oh. Oh crap, he remembers now. Connor simply fainted all of a sudden, right in front of Markus.

“So, it was sudden overheating?” Simon asks, to which the other hummed in affirmation.

“Okay, that’s weird. It can’t be a cold of some sort.” North observes, and Connor can even see her frowning, despite not directly looking at them. “It doesn’t get that bad so fast.”

Josh makes a noise agreeing with her (from what Connor knows, it’s rare for that to happen). Suddenly, Simon interrupts the conversation.

“Oh, Markus, I think he’s awake...” His voice is lowered.

Connor almost immediately closes his eyes, to no avail.

“Connor?” Markus calls him.

Well, it’s no use. He turns his head around and faces the four androids. Markus looks very worried, North and Josh are frowning in suspicion and Simon... he doesn’t look surprised, somehow. If Connor isn’t too out of himself, it seems as though the blond android has an understanding expression.

Markus touches his face and the other already tenses.

“Are you feeling better?” The former asks, his mismatched eyes watching him.

Connor tries not to get too distracted by them nor by the way Markus is touching his cheek, so gently... instead, he opens his mouth to reassure everyone he’s feeling better.

What comes out of him is the exact opposite of that.

“Adhfgdhjdhgfkjgf—”

He shuts his mouth immediately. What the actual _fuck_ _?_

“Shdfdhdghfjdkfhdgj?” Connor tries again and freaks out. “DKJGKGJREGMJEKBWIUVWIFV???”

“What the heck?” North lets out. “Did the overheat bust his- his brain?”

“T-There was nothing in the diagnosis!” Markus sounds desperate.

“ _How_ is he doing that with his mouth?” Josh wonders.

The three are too lost to come up with conclusions. In contrast, Simon is surprisingly calm. There’s a furrowed brow, yet it comes from familiarity, if Connor isn’t mistaken.

“Wait, everyone; I think I know what this is,” Simon finally voices out, seeing that nobody has any idea what to do. He approaches the bed, replacing Markus’ spot beside Connor, and he places his hand on the RK800’s arm.

“What is it, then?” North asks.

“Well... it’s a little hard to explain.” The blond android remains patient about the whole situation. “He must have been overwhelmed with too many emotions at a time. That must have led overheating and possibly a short circuit. Not many androids experience these with such intensity, yet I’ve heard it might happen to some.”

“If it was a short circuit, then how come we couldn’t detect it?” Josh questions.

“I believe it’s... more emotional than physical. If anything, it’s not going to be permanent.” The blond android meets his eyes. “He’ll talk normally once he’s fully relaxed.”

The others are quiet, thinking it might make sense.

“Is there anything else we can do?” Markus voices out, looking at Connor with the same concern.

“Ah, no, we should leave him be for some time. You should let Lieutenant Anderson know, for that matter. I’m not sure when this is going to be over.”

Markus hums. “Very well, then. I’ll let him know what happened.”

North nods and follows him outside of the room. Josh is waiting for Simon, when the latter gives him a sign, that he’ll join them in a minute. Josh seems to have understood something, yet he doesn’t question anything and leaves as well.

Connor frowns at Simon and automatically tries to ask if the blond knows anything, except it comes out as that same mess, “Akejwhrekgrenkkfhsdoig?” He sighs in frustration and shuts up.

A little snort comes from the other android and he looks at him, a small smile revealing itself.

“Oh, I do know what’s going on,” Simon replies. “You don’t have to worry, Connor. You’re alright.”

The detective freezes. What?

“Sdosifmiodsgjfhifdpkoihfi??” Meaning, _you can understand me??_

Simon nods. He’s not joking, and he’s not someone who would prank others like this.

What the fuck is going on?

* * *

“Connor went through severe overheating and shut down temporarily. He’s- He’s alright now, except... It’s hard to explain. He can’t speak properly. I suppose... do you know, when you use the computer, and you, um. ‘Smash’ your keyboard, thus there are random letters forming incoherent words? So, that. I cannot tell how it’s happening...”

Josh tries not to pay too much attention to the conversation, but it doesn’t help with Lieutenant Anderson screaming in desperation from the other line; North even flinches at his gruff, loud tone. The man was already on his way to New Jericho as soon as Markus said that something had happened to Connor. Even with the explanation, he’s not convinced and hates the idea of leaving the RK800 on his own.

“No, no, he’ll be alright. Simon seems to understand what happened to him. He said Connor must rest and relax, so he speaks again. There’s no need for you to worry now, Lieutenant. We are taking care of him.”

“Shit, making him rest is a fucking challenge,” Hank mutters from the other line. “But... ugh, he trusts you, and so do I. I’m not going there now, alright? So you better take good care of him. If anything else happens you call me _immediately_ , you got it?”

“Of course, Lieutenant. Thank you.” Markus is actually very calm towards a protective, furious police detective.

Once he hangs up, North lets out a sigh of relief.

“Damn, I thought he was going to murder you,” She jokes, sarcastic.

“I’m used to it,” Markus throws back with a shrug. “But he had good reasons.”

The leader sits by the chair in his own room, which is filled with paintings in every single meter, aside from the piano. Cans of paint lie here and there, yet it’s surprisingly organized as well. Only then does Josh catches one canvas that portrays... brown eyes that he knows too well whose they are.

North and Josh share a look soon after, the former crossing her arms.

“Alright, what are you guys thinking about?” Markus questions.

The long-haired android sighs. “I think I know why Connor had that freak out earlier.”

Josh nods. He and North rarely share the same opinions, yet this time, they have no choice. They’ve both suspected for a while. There has been a lot of brown, gray and blue in Markus’ most recent works - and they're all there, staring at the three androids. The way he looks at Connor, and how the other always looks away afterwards, as if he’s flustered. How Connor has engaged in almost everything Markus likes to do, and vice versa – their leader was trying to perform the detective’s coin trick once.

It’s... suspicious just how Connor seemed to have passed out right in front of Markus, and _only_ him, while he's at that. Considering Simon said he must have been overwhelmed with emotions... Sure, Connor is generally reserved, as he struggles more to accept his deviancy, yet it should be worth noting just how nervous the RK800 looked when Markus touched his face earlier, as if he were about to combust again.

North has been sharing the same thoughts, too. They’ve been silently communicating between themselves. If they’ve both come up with them, with no protesting or denying, then there definitely is something about all this.

Markus, on the other hand, doesn’t look like he has any idea.

“Well, what do you think?” He asks, utterly lost.

“Come on, it’s obvious by now,” North replies. “You and Connor.”

“... no. What about us is obvious?”

She rolls his eyes. “I can’t believe this...”

“Markus, you two have been... forming a special bond lately,” Josh intervenes, knowing she isn’t very patient sometimes. “And I mean in a way different than a friendship. We’ve all noticed at this point, how you two are always dedicating your time to one another; how you have been influencing each other.”

“Well, that’s how friends are, right?” Markus looks... a little nervous now, as he avoids their looks at times. Yeah, it’s obvious.

“And the way you look at him? As if he were your whole world?” Josh insists. “You don’t even need to talk, and it’s still obvious to us how much he means to you.”

“C’mon, we could tell that from the first day he came here. You were the happiest I’ve seen you look,” North argues. “Or when he wanted to learn how to paint. _Or_ play the piano - we could be here for hours.”

“No- No, that’s not what it is—”

“Look around, Markus,” North opens her arms as to gesture at the several paintings. “Doesn’t that mean something else other than friendship to you?”

Markus looks at the same one Josh was contemplating, and there’s a shocked expression, as if he were caught. His mismatched eyes search on and forth between the paintings when, suddenly... his cheeks turn blue.

“Oh, you’re blue, too,” North notes, not sounding surprised. "I'm 100% sure Connor is not sick now."

Markus touches his own cheeks and he... hides his face in embarrassment. It’s almost adorable, Josh should admit.

“Yeah, there’s no denying it, Markus,” The woman grins.

“But I don’t... shit.” Markus takes a while to continue and sighs. “You’re right, okay? Are you happy now?”

“I’m jumping in joy.”

“We tried to wait for you two figure it out on your own, but for smart people... you both suffer from severe obliviousness.” Josh jokes as well, while sounding serious as usual. “But I guess that’s human, too.”

North hums. She looks behind them, frowning.

“Wait, where’s Simon?” She asks.

“He stayed behind with Connor," Josh replies. "He knew what he was doing, so I didn't say anything."

The other two share suspicious glances. He may not know what Simon meant before he left the room, but Josh trusts him.

* * *

“... agsfdfhdkfjgofdh!”

“No, Connor, you can’t deny it. Markus is the whole source of it, you said it yourself.”

“Apkofpogjfknhoithm...”

“You’re not broken.” Simon explains, hurt. “You’re in love.”

Connor frowns. “Akofdngfji?”

“Yes. Love. Do you remember the blue-haired and brown-haired Traci? They love one another, so much they deviated and escaped; and would do anything to keep the other safe.” The blond pauses for a moment before asking, “That’s how you feel about him, right?”

Connor’s mouth opens, but no words come out for a long time; he can no longer deny it. His cheeks turn blue, yet Simon hopes it doesn’t reach the same level as before.

“Qiueidghkdlgng!” He snaps. “Rfomfglfkhlh... aijfdpogmkfgf?”

“I’ve told you, you’re not the only one who overheats with that sort of emotion. I do know that.”

The brown-eyed android frowns and tilts his head in curiosity. Knowing the detective, Simon is aware what question he may be asked.

“Oqkjshfnjdkfbkdd?”

Simon stays quiet for a couple minutes. He’s... He’s never shared this with anyone. No one from Jericho knows his story; it’s not like he ever felt it was needed to be told. Now, with Connor struggling to understand himself, it might be necessary.

“I went... through the same situation,” The PL600 admits. “Even before I deviated, actually.”

Connor is silent, expecting him to continue. Simon doesn’t fight it.

“There was this, well... this guy who bumped into me one day,” Simon begins. “He was very nice and attractive. Suddenly, I couldn’t speak right and my systems began overheating as well. My owner thought I was broken, so they sent me to for repairing... and they found nothing wrong. I went back to their house without understanding what happened at the time. A week or so later, I discovered he began working at the grocery store I frequented. Sometimes I went there on my own to buy things, so we saw each other more often. I felt... so well. And I could tell he did, too.”

“We kept seeing one another until I started questioning if it was real, and I became overwhelmed again. So, my owner found out, and...”

He doesn’t continue. Not that he’s ashamed of it. Simon has long learned to embrace those feelings, as confusing as they could be.

But it... it still hurts.

Simon doesn’t forget Brad. He doesn’t forget his smile, his friendly voice. Brad liked cats a lot, so he always had cat fur in his shirt. He treated Simon like... like a real being. And to have that taken away from him...

“Well, I never saw him again,” Simon finishes the story at that. “But the point is, I’ve been where you are, and that is a genuine experience. It’s how you feel, and that should be valued.”

“Qklfhkdjidlhgiufdb... slkfdpgmklfgpfdn.”

“I understand it’s hard. You think turning deviant was easy to any of us? Realizing you’re in love is already a struggle for humans. Imagine for us, who weren’t _supposed_ to feel it?” Simon lets out a deep breath.

Connor looks away briefly. The other understands his struggle, especially as he was once the “deviant hunter”. Coming to terms with feelings is the hardest thing androids have ever gone through.

“Listen.” Simon breaks the silence. “I know Markus feels the same way for you. I know the look of someone in love when I see it, and you both show it to one another. You two are just... avoiding the inevitable.”

Connor shrinks a little. “Pksshjfdsayvasgfg...?”

“He does, Connor. He cares very much for you as well. You must tell him how you feel – when you’re ready, of course. That’s why I didn’t say anything when they were here. You should be the one to do it.”

The detective hums in contemplation. He asks one more thing.

“Knxcvnvbmsavhjas?”

“If that’s the case... I believe it’s worth the try nonetheless. If you don’t say anything, you will have these same outbursts and suffer in silence. You will regret it, because you might never know, and simply assume.”

The questioning look in Connor’s brown eyes disappear after that sentence. Simon is more relaxed at that.

“Ldkljfdsjbfkasg...” The RK800 smiles supportively at him. “Qufhewhgigiorg.”

“No problem, Connor. Now I truly must leave you be... you should rest and think through it before you tell him. It doesn’t have to be today, alright?”

He nods. “Akshhjdglfjdh.”

“See you.”

Simon grins at him and so he closes the door behind him, leaving Connor with his thoughts. As soon as he does, North is calling him through their telepathic channel, ask if everything’s okay. He reassures her, and with that he heads to Markus’ room.

* * *

At night, Connor can speak again.

He was in stasis mode through the entire day, so he’s relieved when he awakes. He tests calling Hank first, knowing he might still be worried. The lieutenant surprises him by saying he should stay at Jericho for the night, mostly due to hearing that anti-android activists may be on the loose. Connor doesn’t exactly deny it, still feeling a little drained by everything that happened today.

Hank then jokes it’s good to take a day off from Connor, who smirks and says the same for himself. With a last “fuck you, good night”, Hank hangs up and Connor sits in the room, thoughtful. Finally, he stands up and sees that Markus’ is lit up. He should let the others know he’s better.

When arriving there, Connor knocks on the door.

“Hello? Markus?” He calls the leader. He... hears a gasp.

“Connor?” Markus sounds like he’s been caught, even though the other android hasn’t come in yet.

“May I come in?”

There’s no response for a moment before the RK200 replies, defeated, “Yes. Of course.”

Connor enters and... well, he’s amazed by the several paintings there. He hasn’t been to Markus’ room in some time now; nor with the two of them on their own. One of them strikes him as odd, though, as he finds brown eyes that... share far too many similarities with his own.

... oh.

So, Simon truly wasn’t wrong...

Markus understands what’s on his mind as his cheeks also turn blue. Connor can only nod and not say anything again. It feels as though they want to tell each other so many things at once, but nothing comes out of either.

Markus makes a nervous sound.

"So, you're alright now?" He asks.

"Yes. I am pleased to be talking normally again."

Markus nods. There's silence again for some time before he speaks.

“The issue you were having...” He begins. “Did it have anything to do with what happened today?”

Connor nods again, lowering his head in embarrassment. Part of him feels he should confess. Explain what truly happened.

“I’ve been... experiencing the overheating more often lately. When I’m around you,” The RK800 admits. “I-I couldn’t understand any of it, so I came here to ask North, Josh and Simon if they were aware of these symptoms and what they meant. I didn’t mean for you to find out, so when you showed up, I...” Connor plays with his own hands and imitates Hank, “I completely lost it.”

Markus smiles a little at the expression used while he hugs himself.

“I... I do admire you, Markus,” Connor continues. “Very much. I guess I have always had. And now I realize that... um...”

SYSTEM TEMPERATURE ^

He nearly doesn’t say it. Yet he remembers what happened to Simon and his loved one. How heartbreaking it was for them to be separated, without truly knowing how they felt for one another.

Connor’s face is burning again, but he’s able to control it.

“... I love you.”

It doesn’t come out as hard as he expected.

He’s not avoiding the other’s look now. Connor is facing him, and does not want to run away, as he’s determined to let Markus know of his feelings.

But then, Markus walks towards him and stops once they’re close. So close that Connor sees the freckles in the other’s skin.

Connor may be close to “losing it” again.

SYSTEM TEMPERATURE ^^

...

Though, it also helps that the other android looks that way, too.

They both end up laughing quietly.

SYSTEM TEMPERATURE v

Markus raises his arms and pulls Connor for a hug. It feels... nice. Very nice. The detective has gotten this contact from Hank before, yet never from others at Jericho. Markus and Simon would hug sometimes, and only now does the brown-haired android admits he’s sort of craved it.

Connor returns it with a smile.

When they finally look at one another again, he feels peaceful. Safe.

“I love you, too, Connor,” Markus replies at once.

With no more words to be shared, their lips meet.

* * *

Once seeing that Connor has left his room and Markus no longer in his, Simon, North and Josh already know where they might be. They find them sitting close to one another at the new roof, stargazing. Markus has wrapped Connor with his long coat.

Simon and Josh smile, in their own ways. The first is grateful and empathetic; the second, supportive and friendly. Meanwhile, North mutters, with a smirk, “About damn time.” Lieutenant Anderson will agree with her on that.


End file.
